Russian President Vladimir Putin, visiting Dushanbe, has finalized an agreement with his Tajikistan counterpart Emomali Rahmon to extend the lease of Russia's military base there for another 30 years. That's a bit of a compromise on Russia's part: they had been seeking 49 years. But Tajikistan compromised too: instead of getting rent for the base, which Rahmon had sought, Russia will offer an aid package and allow more labor migrants from Tajikistan into Russia, Reuters reports.

A high-ranking source in Tajikistan's government, who requested anonymity, said a package of deals had been prepared for signing by Putin and Rakhmon. These would include better terms for Tajik migrant workers in Russia, he said....

The Tajik government source said deals prepared for signing on Friday also included construction of a hydroelectric power station and the removal of import duties on Russian light oil products used in Tajikistan.

There will be some payment, though: a "symbolic sum."

"This base is needed by us, and is needed by Tajikistan," Putin's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, said.

Ushakov said Russia would pay a symbolic sum to extend its lease, which had been due to expire after a decade on Jan. 1, 2014.

Regnum.ru reports that the deal also includes some Russian aid to modernize Tajikistan's armed forces.

The news of the agreement contradicts the statement of a top-ranking Russian general, who said less than a week ago that the two sides would continue negotiating for another six months.

In Central Asia, we often talk about how to make arrangements for military cooperation without propping up corrupt dictators like Rahmon. Is there any better way than this deal to make sure that the benefits trickle down to the poorest Tajiks? This surely wasn't on the minds of the negotiators -- Russia undoubtedly just didn't want to pay, and Rahmon understands that labor migrants are a crucial safety valve in averting social unrest. But one wonders if it's a model that could be replicated elsewhere. Could the U.S. offer student or work visas to Kyrgyzstanis in exchange for the Manas air base?